Kalevala : the Epic Poem of Finland — Volume 01 eBook

Acknowledgment is hereby made to the following sources
of information used in the preparation of this work:
to E. Lenquist’s De Superstitione veterum Fennorum
theoretica et practica; to Chr. Ganander’s
Mythologia Fennica; to Becker’s De Vainamoine;
to Max Müller’s Oxford Essays; to Prof.
John A. Porter’s Selections from the Kalevala;
to the writings of the two Grimms; to Latham’s
Native Races of the Russian Empire; to the translations
of the Kalevala by Alex. Castren, Anton Schieffier,
L. LeDuc and Ferdinand Barna; and especially to the
excellent treatises on the Kalevala, and on the Mythology
of the Finns, by Mace Da Charda and Alex. Castren;
to Prof. Helena Klingner, of Cincinnati, a linguist
of high rank, and who has compared very conscientiously
the manuscript of the following pages with the German
translation of the Kalevala by Anton Schiefner; to
Dr. Emil Reich, a native Hungarian, a close student
of the Ugrian tongues, who, in a most thorough manner,
has compared this translation with the Hungarian
by Ferdinand Barna, and who, familiar with the habits,
customs, and religious notions of the Finns, has
furnished much valuable material used in the preparation
of this preface; and, finally, to Prof. Thomas
C. Porter, D.D., LL.D., of Lafayette College, who
has become an authority on the Kalevala through his
own researches for many years, aided by a long and
intimate acquaintance with Prof. A. F. Soldan,
a Finn by birth, an enthusiastic lover of his country,
a scholar of great attainments, acquainted with many
languages, and once at the head of the Imperial Mint
at Helsingfors, the capital of Finland. Prof.
Porter has very kindly placed in the hands of the
author of these pages, all the literature on this
subject at his command, including his own writings;
he has watched the growth of this translation with
unusual interest; and, with the eye of a gifted poet
and scholar, he has made two careful and critical
examinations of the entire manuscript, making annotations,
emendations, and corrections, by which this work
has been greatly improved.

With this prolonged introduction, this, the first
English translation of the Kalevala, with its many
imperfections, is hesitatingly given to the public.

JohnMartinCrawford.
October 1, 1887.

THE KALEVALA.

PROEM.

Mastered by desire impulsive,
By a mighty inward urging,
I am ready now for singing,
Ready to begin the chanting
Of our nation’s ancient folk-song
Handed down from by-gone ages.
In my mouth the words are melting,
From my lips the tones are gliding,
From my tongue they wish to hasten;
When my willing teeth are parted,
When my ready mouth is opened,
Songs of ancient wit and wisdom
Hasten from me not unwilling.
Golden friend, and dearest brother,
Brother dear of mine in childhood,